I consider myself a bit of a chu-hai connoisseur (that could very well be an oxymoron), and as the seasons change I find myself scouring the shelves at my local convenience stores and supermarkets looking out to see what’s new. I think my all time favorite is a ginger variety - it just tastes like ginger ale, which is equal parts dangerous and delicious - but this summer my focus has turned to the new kids on the block. There’s both a pineapple and a watermelon variety doing the rounds right now, and the pineapple one has snuck into my shopping basket several times now.

Even the graphic design on the can just oozes summer - what evokes more feelings of summer in Japan than festivals, fans and fireworks?! It’s definitely one of the more eye catching chu-hai can designs that I’ve seen in recent times.

Can design aside, the real test comes down to what it tastes like! The chu- hai itself is just lightly yellow in color - to me that was quite refreshing, since I guess I was expecting it to be laden with artificial colors and come out of the can looking almost fluorescent. Before you even taste it, you can already smell the pineapple smell!

Taste wise, this delivers the goods - I would rank it close to the top of my all time favorite chu hai varieties. It’s light and thirst quenching, with a definite pineapple flavor, but didn’t feel sickly sweet. I offered some to my husband as well, to finish off the can - and he’s not usually the biggest fan of either pineapple or chu hai. He was pleasantly surprised as well and said that it was one of the better varieties he’s tasted - and that he’d drink it again. Winner!

Are you a chu hai fan? Have you tried either the pineapple or the watermelon offerings for this season? If you have, what were your thoughts on them?

After spending the last several years in the beating heart of Tokyo, I will be spending the next three in the countryside of Japan. I adore this country and all it has to offer - and I'm always learning more and more about life here as I go along!